Placer-mining machine.



A. E. GUSTER. PLACER MINING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 29, 1913.

Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

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A TTORNEY.

A. E. CUSTEP). PLACER MINING MACHINE. AYPLIGATION FILED NOV. 2'9. 1913.

3. 1 2 1 ,9 Z5 Patented Dec. 22, 1914.

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I ATTORNEY.

ED STA ARTHUR E. (DUSTER, F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

ELACER -MINING MACHINE.

menses.

I Specification of Letters Iatent. lPgtgnted De 22 1914.

Application filed. wovember 29, 1913. Serial No. 803,860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR E. Cosrrnn, a

' citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Placer-Mining Machines, of which the following is a specifi cation.

My invention relates to placer mining machines, and has for its object to provide a machine which will economically separate the gold and other precious metals from sand and gravel.

A further object is to separate and save the coated, flake and floating particles of gold from the sand, gravel and water in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view ofthe same,

I of Fig.1, showing the mercury trap and cal section in parts cut away Fig. .3 is a vertical section on line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the riitles used in the ,ama-lgamator. Fig. 5 is'a vertical sec tion of one of the settling tanks on line ZZ clean-up basin. Fi 6 is an enlarged vertidetail of the screen holding and vibrating mechanism.

In the placer fields in which I have been operating and in many other fields in the Western portion of the United Statesthe placer gold is found associated. with other precious metals, monazite, zircon, ilmenite, etc. The particles of mineral, gold, platinum, etc, are fre-. quently coated with oil and other substances as a film which so complctely envelops the particles of metal that float and be c tied in flowing water. Other particles of gold in the same pla'cerfields are very fine and flattened or thin in shape, so much so, that they are called flake gold, and will fioat or be carried in flowing water. This flake gold, especially means and in the usual lacer miningmanner. As an pperator in said fields and to tion to each other.

vnamely, platinum, thorite,v

they will if coated as above described, cannot, be caught by the usuah meet and overcome such conditions, 1 have invented and am successfully using the machineillustrated in the drawings, wherein I first separate the coarser gravel and sand from the finer particles and minerals and at the same time and with the same elements of my machine I scour and cleanse the metal particles of said oil and foreign substances. Thereafter in other portions of the same machine, and as a part of the same operation, I separate the valuable metals and minerals, including the flake and coated particles, which could not be accomplished without such scouring by such or other mechanical means. It is 'absolutel essential and necessary to give the com ined treatment and .manipulation as above indicated and. herein after described, to this class of placer deposits, to efi'ect and accomplish an economical and commercial savmgof said metals and minerals.

In my machine the mineral bearing sand and gravel is fed into an inclined sluiceway l, in which is a stream of flowing Water. In said sluiceway are secured 'bafile dams 2, al-

ternately with dams 3, in staggered rela-. The dams 3 are not as high as dams 2 and both are positioned at w an angle to said sluiceway. The purpose of said dams is to chan e the direction and movement of the grave ,as his carried along by the water, to cause a grinding of the liner material by the coarser. Aportion of said"slt 1iccWay is set at an incline of about 415 degrees and the bottom of that portion is a coarse meshed wire screen through which the-water and finer material passes. The coarser material is carried, in said sluiceway by additional water supplied throughnnother sluice box 5, to the tailings dump. The material passing through' said screen etfalls into a subjacently extending lateral chute 6, and is dumped therefrom into the head of another slightly inclined sluice box 7. A vibrating screen 8, parallel. with and'practically covering the bottom of said sluice box 7 is supported by springs 9. Said-springs are carried on guide rods 10, which are vertically mounted on and through the crossties 13, which aretransthroughout the length of said sluice box 7.

Threaded floor plates 11 through which said rods are inserted form a bottom bearing for said springs 9, and-bearing caps 12 rest on said springs and support the cross ties 13,

. memes under said screen 8. Vertically movable sleeves 1-: are operated over the ufper portions of said rods 10, and are hel' by short bolts inserted therethrough and. through thesaicl hearing caps 12 and there by said screen 8 is gripped. Said sleeves 1e are internally threaded and a threaded plunger cap ll is screwed in each. Said caps receive the cam friction and have a jam nut 57 on each, by which they are set, whereby they may he turned to adjust the length without said sleeves, and by which the blow of the cam on the cap portion may be regulated. When worn they are removed and may be cheaply replaced. Mounted on the side walls of said sluice box 7, in suit-- able hearings are the cam shafts 15,0n which are fastened the came 16. A driving shaft 56 is mounted on and is parallel with one side cl said. sluice box. 7; on which shaft are secured bevel gears 17, that mesh with and impart a motion to bevel pinions 18, which are secured on said cam shafts l5, and by which motion is imparted to said screen 8. Said canes 1.6 are so adjusted on said shafts "hat the blows or impacts thereof are not all delivered at the same instant and a knocking undulatory motion is thereby imparted to said screen. 8, which motion, with the slight inclination of the screen, moves the coarser sand particles through said sluice box over said screen 8 to a portion 19 thereof which is set at an incline of i5 (legrces and by which said coarse sand is dumped into a tailings chute 20 and carried away. The bottom of said sluice boil 7 is formed into a plurality of inverted. pyra- Iniclically shaped hoppers or tanks 21., preferably equal in number and positioned between the agitating means above described. in the bottom of each of said tanks 21, discharge pipe 22 is provided, having a valve 23 therein. Each of said pipes has a nose piece fitted on its lower end by which. some of the finer sand particles, with the valuable metals and minerals which have passed through said screen S are air-awn oil, through the said. pipes 22, and distributed throughout the riliie be 25, which is sus pended from and beneath said sluice box 7. {Said riiiic box 25 is supported. by linked turnbucl. .les 2 having one coil of each hooked. through the outer ends of saiclcrosstics l3 anal the lower end. hooked. to the sides of sulai lie how; By such support said: rillle box is free to more a limited Way in any lateral. direction anal n'iay t ereby be reif A series of rine hoards llv adiosv .0. 21, equal in leng fil totiie width of said box are placer. side by as a false or Each of said.

ren'iovahlc bottoni s-iicl lJOX. boi s has a plurality of 1 in r transversely res gionetl. hoard. anrl 'lllilil in place rifiie box, anrl staggered in relation to each other. On the same face of each of said. rillie boards 27, are forn'iecl small spacexlapart vertical lugs, at right angles to said recesses 28. Adjustable lip plates 30, are fastened across theends of said recesses 52, which, by means of slotted holes 31, cut therein, may be moved to form a covering for a portion of said recesses 28, to retain the mercury in recesses which. is carried 7 therein, when the rillle box is given the lateral. u'ioveinents hereinafter described. A vibratory motion is given to said rilile box and its contents by means of eccentrics 3l, to which motion is imparted by the usual means (not shown) and which are mounted on said box, two on the side and one at the end. Each eccentric rod carries a spring 83, thereon, by which the motion given to the said box. is cushioned in one direction. The reciprocatory movement of said eccentrics regulated as to time, in order that the one at the end of the box will move relatively later than the ones at the sides. This order of movement will give the middle portion of said. rill'le box a circular motion, as the box has considerable length and the material of which it is constructed permits it to bend laterally, as also allowed by the turnbuckle suspension; thereby tending to give a movement to the middle portion of saicl sluic box similar to the old gold panning 1110* tion.

As stated,"- in the preamble to the specification, the placer ground in which I have been operating has considerable gold. which has a tendency to float, caused by its line and flaky form and by a coating or film surrounding each particle, the treatment and manipulation which has been given the said. coated mineral particles, as above (lescribecl, in the sluiceway l, the sluicebor. 7, and rillle box 525, breaks saicl coating;- and wears away said oily and other SllbSiltllliKiS to such an extent that large part of the gold will he caught on the rillles 29, and in the recesses28. The finest of the mineral bearing material, in the nature of slim-es, line particles of sand, flake and floating gold, with the water and all floured and 5 mercury, flows from the lower end of said rili'le hex 25, onto the return or distril'iuter chute 3i, ancii roin there into the settling tanks 85, 36 and 37, respectively; which are formed similar to the said tanks 2. 4 l in have clischargre pipes 12, in l with. valves therein, thrtmgh mercury caught insaicl settl em "ed. To the H a I Y which heavier ofi' torecover the other valuable metals and minerals, namely thorite, monazite, etc. in the lower end of each of said pipes l2,'is secured a distributer 39, similar in form to the said nose pieces 24:, by which the material discharged is spread over the tables, 40, which are placed thereunder. Vertical baffle boards, 43, are fastened in the upper portion of said tanks 35, 36and 37, to check the current of water flowing through said tanks. A plurality of spacedapart, vertical, oil-coated screens 44, are placed between said tanks 35, 36, and 37 and at numberof-said coated screens *5, are horizontally placed covering the overflow, discharge chute or opening all, from said tank 87. Said screens 44,. do, are coated with a viscous oil or grease by'dipping them into said viscous material before they are placed in position; and any particle of gold which floats in the water is caught on said screens as the water passes through them in reach- 'ing said discharge chute 4:6.

' box 7, onto the screen 8. The greater porgoldis carried bythe-water from said tanks tion of gold and other metals is deposited" in the tanks 21 but the floating and flake 21 down or toward the other end of said sluicebox 7 In passing through said tanke the gold particles, called colors, receive the action, of the'sand particles as carried along over said screens 8. baid screen 8 is given a vertical vibratory motion by means of said cams -16 striking said plunger caps 14. Said motion is quickly down and relatively slowerup, and keeps said screen cleaned, as the impulse ormovement thrcugl'i the waterv washes the meshes and' the inclination causes the sand to travel to the lower end. The travel of the sand is assisted by the motion of said screens; the bounding, rolling motion aids travel,- and less water is required to move the sand. than would be, necessary over a stationary screen. The flow from'the .otljom of each-ofsaid tanks 21 is re ulated by the valves 23 and the material is dis curbed by the nosep eces 24, over the rilile boards 2? 1n the ri e box The sand that will not pass through the meshes of said screen 8 is carried over, the said'screen lll at the and of said sluice box and is dewater and falls into the ta lings chute and is carried away by the water flowing from the settling tanks. T he floatiiig lkflake, and coated minerals with all of t iewvater and the fine sand and slimes are carried in the return sluice-way 34: and fall into the settling tank That portion of the water that carries the flake and floating .inetals passes under the bafile boards 13, through the oil coated screens 43*): and 45 and through the discharge chute and carries the sand from screen 19 away through the sluice way 20. The flake and floating metals are caught on said screens 44 and 4-5 by .com-

ing in contact with the viscous oiled meshes thereof. As previously stated, most of the gold and other metals are deposited in said tanks 21, wherein I have absolute control of the how or feed therethrough of. the

sand, water and heavier metals to and over the rifiles, and from which the; heavier -metals are drawn off, with enough water to move them, through the pipes 22 and to spread them over the rifiie board 27-. Mercury is placed in the recesses 28 in said rillle boards, and the lip plates 30 are adjusted to form-pockets at the end of said recesses. Said rifile'box 25 is given a circular vibratory motion and the gold, is

caught in said mercury and on'the trans verse rillles 29.. Some of the said mercury. is floured andis carried out of the rilile box 25, and withtheslimes; and fine sand particles and with the other minerals that. do

not readily vamalgamate with mercury is caught in said tank 35. A small fiowof water is znaintained'through the drain pipes 42 andany particles of the valuable and rare metals that will not ainalgamate pass under the lower edge of the balile'sides ll in said tank and through said pipes d2 and are distributed to the concentrating table40 ere ader for"treatment-f The ortion of said tank 35 which'is below th outlet to,

pipe 42 catches the floured mercury and acts;

as a mercurytrap, and also as a clean-up trap in the final clean-up which will be explained her'eafter. i In cleaning up, the feed of gravel and sand is discontinued while the water is kept running until all of-the sand and gravel. is cleaned or washed out of the machine, then the valves in the settling tanks 85 are closedand the cleaning of the'rillle box 25 is begun,

the contents of the riflle boards 27 are dumped out into the'rifiie box and all the mercury, amalgam, and concentrates are washed out'froni the ritlle boards with a hose- I and stiff brush, This cleaning up is begun at thelower endof riille box 25 and is continued until the upper end is reached, after all the rifile boards are cleaned the rilile box 25 is washed clean and brushed down, everything including mercury, amalgam, and corn 'centrates is washed down into the settling tank when the mercury and amalgam is separated from the concentrate by gravity,

the mercury and amalgam owing to their greater specific gravity displace the lighter material in the tank 35, and are drawn oil through valve 4-? into a suitable vessel and then the concentrates are drawn ed through the same valve into a suitable vessel for fur ther treatment. The mercury immediately after being drawn oil is strained from the amalgam and the mercury is then recharged into the riiiie boards and the machine is ready to resume operation. From this it will be seen that the tanks in connection with the machine are absolutely necessary as a means of cleaning up. The oiled screens M and 4-5 used for catching the fine floating gold are in duplicate sets and in cleaning up, one set is, removed and the other set placed in position, and the set removed is cleaned and made ready for the next clean-up.

Having thus described my invention 1 desire to secure by Letters Patent and claim:

1. In a placer mining machine the con1bination of an inclined sluice box; a plurality of pyramidically shaped tanks forming a bottom. in said sluice box; a screen in said sluice box forming a foralninous covering for said tanks; a valve controlled pi e in the bottom of each of said tanks; a ri'lle sluice suspended below and inclined in the same direction with said sluice box; and a nose piece on the lower end of each of said pipes and spaced along said sluice box, and adapted to deliver progressively finer grades of material at successive spaced parts of said rillle sluice from its head to its discharge end.

i 2. In a placer mining machine the combination of a sluice box into which screened gravel is dumped; a plurality of inverted pyrainidically shaped tanks placed side by side to form a continuous bottom for said sluice box; a screen in said sluice box extion to them; and settling tanks beneath the said sluice box and riliie sluice into which menses said rilile sluice and screen extension discharge in common through said distributer sluice.

3. In a placer mining machine the combination of a sluice box; a dewatering screen at the delivery end of said sluice box; a. plurality of tanks adjoining on their sides forming an undulating bottom in said sluice box; a screen covering said tanks to form a continuous foraniinous diaphragm in said sluice box; means to separately discharge from each of the tanks progressively finer grades of material. from each successive tank; a riizlle box suspended below and par allel with said sluice box; and settling tanks beneath said dewatering screen and rifiie box adapted to receive the discharge in common therefrom.

1-. In a placer mining machine the combination of a sluice Way; an inclined sluice box adapted to receive a portion of the discharge from said sluice Way; a plurality of contiguous tanks forming a bottom for said sluice box; a screen Within said sluice box forming a screen. covering for said tanks; a

ril'lie sluice box suspended beneath. and.

parallel with said sluice box; and nose pieces on the bottoms of said tanks adapted to deliversuccessive and pro gressively graded material from said tanks from the head to the discharge end of said riilie sluice box. i

5. In a placer mining, machine the combination. of an inclined'sluice box having closed sides and one end; a plurality of inverted pyia nidically shaped tanks placed side by side to form a bottom for said" sluice box; means to conduct a sheet of mineral bearing gravel over said screen which Will allow the finer particles to fall into said tanks; a valve controlled pipe in the bottom of each of said tanks to discharge therethrough; a rillle box, suspended below and parallel with said sluice box; and a nose piece on the bottom of each of said pipes adapted to deliver progressively finer grades of said gravel at successive, spaced apart portions of said riiiie box from its head to the discharge end thereof.

In testimony whereof I have allixed my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

ARTI-lUR E. CUSTEE Viitnesses -Ww i i. BARTON Sara RANEY. 

